Harness leveling mechanism



HARNESS LEVELING MECHANISM Filed Jan. -16. 1931 Is Sheets-$heet 1 Fig.1.

ATTys Aug; 18, 1931,

' H. 'A. 05w A 1,819,543 HARNESS LEVELING ECHANISI Filed Jan. 16,1931

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Aug. 18, 1931. H. A. DAVIS HARNESS LEVELING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 16.1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTys.

Patented Aug. 18, 1931 UNITED STATES ATENTY OFFICE HARRY A. DAVIS, OFI-IOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASSIG-NOR '10 DRAPER COB-1'0! RATION, 0FHOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, .A COBPORATTEON OF IDIAINE HARNESS LEVELINGMECHANISM Appli at on filed January 1 .1931. S r l N 50 .064.

This invention relates to mechanism for leveling the harness frames in aloom in which the harness frames are operated by cams and in which thereare more than two harness frames.

In the weaving of certain fabrics, particularly those composed of rayon,the appearance of the fabric is rendered defective if the loom is leftstanding for a considerable period, such as over a week-end or evenovernight, with the warps under unequal tension. Where the warps are ofrayon, which is relatively non-elastic, and the shed forming mechanismis left with the harness frames not levelled, the warps are unequallystretched and permanently set so that there is a markedly differentappearance in a section of the cloth woven when the loom is startedafter standing for a considerable period. This difficulty may beovercome by leveling the harness frames when the loom is stopped so asto eliminate any unequal tension in the warps. When, as is common, theharness frames are operated by cams and there are more than two harnessframes employed, it is usually impossible to bring all the harnessframes to a level at one time. Two of the harness frames may belevelled,

but the one or more others, depending upon the number of harness framesin the loom, cannot also be brought to the level.

In this invention means'are provided for shifting the fulcrums of thelevers by which the respective cams operate all but two of the harnessframes so that by shifting these fulcrums those harness frames may belevelled which remain unlevelled after the leveling of the harnessframes which can be levelable by the cams.

The invention further. consists in providing an eccentric fulcrumbearing for each cam-operated harness frame lever in excess of two sothat by rotatably shifting these fulcrum bearings all of the harnessframes may be brought to a level and-thus eliminate unequal tension onthe warps when the loom is to be left standing.

The invention further consists in providing means for shifting at leastone of the said fulcrum-bearings from the front of the loom so as toenable the operator standing at the front of the loom to level theharness frames.

- These and other objects and features of the invention will appear morefully from the accompanying description and drawings and will beparticularly pointed out in the claims. 7

The drawings illustrate so. much of an ordinary type of loom in whichmore than two harness frames are employed and in which theseharnessframes are each operated by a cam and lever mechanism as is necessary toa disclosure of a preferred form of the present invention.

In the drawings: 1 I j Fig. 1 is a side elevation chiefly in verticalcross section of the loom with those parts which are not concerned withthe invention removed.

Fig. 2 is a detail in rear elevation partially broken away-showing thesupport and bearings for the harness frame operating levers as adaptedto a loom employing three camoperated harness frames. Fig. 3 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1 with further parts of the loom removed showing thethree'harness frames brought to a level.

Fig. 4 is a detail in side elevation show ing the position of thefulcrum bearing of the third harness frame shifted to leveling position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the mechanism adapted 'for fourcam-oper ated harness frame levers.

Fig. (i is a side elevation partially in vertical cross section of aportion of the loom showing a preferred construction for leveling one ofthe frames from the front of the loom.

i the formation of the sheds.

Fig. 7 is a detail in rear elevation of a portion of the constructionshown in Fig. 6.

The loom illustrated is an ordinary type comprising side frames 1 withthe cross girts 2 and 3, breast beam 4, crank shaft 5, cam shaft 6, andlay rocker shaft 7. The loom is shown as provided with more than twoharness frames, in this case three such frames 8, 9, and 10 being shown.The warps as usual pass from the warp beam, not shown, over the whiproll 11, around the lease rods 12, through the heddles of the harnessframes, through the reed 13 carried by the lay l4, and thence over thebreast beam to the take-up and cloth rolls, not shown.

Each harness frame, in the type shown, is provided with flexibleconnectors 15 extending over idler pulleys 16 on the loom arch tosprings, not shown, which thus act to raise the heddles in a familiarmanner.

The harness frames are shown as drawn down to effect the sheddingoperation by a generally familiar type of cam mechanism.

For this purpose a serles of cams corresponding in number to the harnessframes are mounted upon the cam shaft 6. In the illustratedcase wherethree harness frames are shown, there are accordingly three cams 17, 18and 19 for respectivelyoperating the frames 8, 9, and 10. These cams actrespectively against the harness frame levers 20, 21, and 22. A followerroll 23 is journalled in each lever to cooperate with the correspondingcam. These levers are fulcrumed at the rear of the loom upon the shaft24 and at their'forward ends are connected respectively by the usualconnec tions 25 to their respective harness frames. As this general typeof mechanism is a familiar one, no further description is necessary. Asthe cam shaft 6 rotates, the several cams in conjunction with thesprings at the top of the loom operate to raise and lower the respectiveharness frames as required in It will be seen that with such a type ofconstruction it will be possible to bring all three harness frames tothe level position. As shown in Fig. 1, two of the harness frames, as 8and 9, for example, may be brought to the level position, but the thirdharness frame, as 10, cannot at the same time be brought to thisposition. 7

The shaft 24 is shown as mounted in a bracket 26 secured to the crossgirt 2. Two of the harness frame operating levers, as, for example, thelevers 20 and 21, are fulcrumed directly on the shaft 24. The-thirdlever, as, for example, the lever 22., is fulcrumed on a fulcrum bearing27 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 24, the rearward end of this leverbeing enlarged for this purpose. This fulcrum bearing. 27 is extendedout at one side of the lever 22 and provided with a projecting handle28. It will thus be seen that by rotatably shifting the fulcrum bearing27 on the shaft 24, as by means of the handle 28 provided for thatpurpose, the third lever 22 may be brought to a position which willbring the harness frame operated by it, as for example, the frame 10, tothe same level position as the other frames which have been levelled bythe cams. In Figs. 1 and 2, and in full lines in Fig. 4, the fulcrumbearing 27 is shown in its normal position with the handle 28 standingupright. In Fig. 3, and in dotted lines in Fig. 4, the harness f'ramesSand 9 have been levelled by the cams and the fulcrum bearing 27 has beenrotatably shifted 180 by swinging the handle 28 to a downward position,thus shifting the fulcrum point of the lever 22 and bringing the harnessframe 10 controlled by it to the same level position as the other twoharness frames. 7

The invention is applicable to any number of cam-operated harness framesabove two where the harness frames by reason of their number cannot belevelled by their cams. The bracket 26 is shown as of sufiicient size toprovide for the fulcruming of more than three cam-operated levers andcollars 29 are mounted on the shaft 24 to fill in the vacant space. InFig. 5 one form of arrangement is shown where there are fourcam-operated harness levers mounted on the shaft 24. In this case, forexample, the two intermediate levers 30 and 31 are fulcrumed directlyupon the shaft while the two outermost levers 32 and 33 are fulcrumed onfulcrum bearings 34 and 35 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 24 as inthe case of the fulcrum bearing 27 and are each provided with anoperating handle 36 and 37 respectively, similar to the handle 28already described. In such case the harness frames operated by thelevers 30 and 31 will first be levelled by the cams and then the harnessframes operated by the levers 32 and 33 will be brought to the samelevel by shifting the eccentric fulcrum bearings 34 and 35 by means ofthe handles 36 and 37.

The application of the invention to any further number of harness framesabove two will be apparent from the foregoing.

The invention also provides means whereby the harness frames may belevelled by the harness frame operating mechanism is the same as thatalready described and but a single set of elements is shown which, of

course, may be duplicated or repeated as desired. The cam shaft 38carries the cam 39 engaging the follower roll 40 journalled in theharness frame lever 41. This lever at its rear end is fulcrumed on thefulcrum bearing 42 eccentrically mounted on the shaft 43. This shaft 43as before is carried by a bracket 44 secured to the cross girt 45 of theloom frame corresponding to the cross girt 2 of the loom frame. Thefulcrum bearing 42 has a lateral extension 46 concentric with the shaft43.

A transmitting shaft 47 extends from adjacent the shaft 43 to the frontof the loom. This shaft is shown as journalled at its rear end. in abracket 48 depending from and secured to one end of the shaft 43 and asjournalled at its forward end in a bracket 49 secured to the front crossgirt 50 of the loom frame. At its front end the transmitting shaft 47 isprovided with suitable means such as a hand wheel 51 which enables theshaft to be rotated by the opera tor at the front of the loom.

At its rear end the transmitting shaft 47 has gearing connections withthe fulcrum bearing. In the construction illustrated, the gearingconnections between the transmitting shaft 47 and the fulcrum bearing 42are shown as of the worm and worm wheel type. A worm wheel gear 52 issecured to the hub 46 of the fulcrum bearing 42 concentrically therewithand a worm gear 53 is secured to the rear end of the shaft 47 andintermeshes with the worm wheel gear 52. A stop pin 54 inserted radiallyinthe worm wheel. 52 or its hub engages in one position of rotaryadjustment with the Worm 53 and in the other position with the bracket44 to define the required positions of the fulcrum bearing.

It will thus be seen that by means of this invention it is readilypossible to level all the harness frames in a cam-operated harness frameloom where there are three or more harness frames, each operated by acam-operated lever. Thus when the loom is left standing for anyappreciable period, any unequal strain on the warps due to the action ofthe shed forming mechanism may be obviated simply by leveling theharness frames and any danger of impairment of the appearance of thefabric due to unequal stretching of the warps when the loom is leftstanding is prevented. The leveling operation may also conveniently beperformed from the front of the loom when desired.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured y Letters Patent, is:

1. A loom comprising more than two the lever eccentrically mounted onthe shaft,

and means, for rotatably shifting the said bearing on the shaft to levelthe harness frame when desired.

8. In a loom a cam-operated harness frame lever, a shaft, a fulcrumbearing for the lever eccentrically mounted on the shaft, and a handleprojecting from said bearing for rotatably shifting the said bearing onthe shaft to level the harness frame when desired.

4. A loom comprising more than two harness frames, a lever for operatingeach frame, a cam for operating each lever, a common fulcrum shaft forthe said levers, a fulcrum bearing for each lever in excess of twoeccentrically mounted on the fulcrum. shaft, and means for rotatablyshifting the said fulcrum bearings on the shaft to enable all theharness frames to be levelled when desired.

5. In a loom a cam-operated harness frame lever, a shaft, a fulcrumbearing for the lever eccentrically mounted on the shaft, a transmittingshaft extending from adjacent the first shaft to the front of the loom,means on the front end of the transmitting shaft for rotating the same,and gearing connections between the transmitting shaft and the fulcrumbearing whereby the said bearing may be rotatably shifted to level theharness frame from the front of the loom.

6. In a loom a cam-operated harness frame lever, a shaft, a fulcrumbearing for the lever eccentrically mounted on the shaft, a transmittingshaft extending from adjacent the first shaft to the front of the loom,means on the front end of the transmitting shaft for rotating the same,and intermeshing gears one on the fulcrum bearing and the other on thetransmitting shaft whereby the said bearing may be rotatably shifted tolevel the harness frame from the front of the loom.

7. In a loom a cam-operated harness frame lever, a shaft, a fulcrumbearing for the lever eccentrically mounted on the shaft, a transmittingshaft extending from adjacent the first shaft to the front of the loom,means on the front end of the transmitting shaft for rotating the same,a worm wheel gear on and connecting with the fulcrum bearing, and a wormgear on the transmitting shaft cooperating with the worm wheel gearwhereby the said bearing may be rotatably shifted tolevel the harnessframe from the front of the loom.

8. In a loom a cam-operated harness frame lever, a shaft, a fulcrumbearing for the lever eccentrically mounted on the shaft, and meanslocated at the front of the loom and connected to the fulcrum bearingfor rotatably shifting the said bearing on its shaft to level theharness frame When desired.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY A. DAVIS.

